For Better, or For Worse
by kaatee
Summary: AU AH, Bella asks her friend, Edward, to escort her to her exboyfriend, Mike's, wedding in order to drive him crazy with jealousy. Edward's sister, Alice, is the bride. Will they get more than they bargained for? EdwardxBella, canon.
1. Prologue

**Ok, so short chapter, but it's only a prologue, normal chapters will be between 4000-5000 wordsish (:  
I hope this chapter isn't too confusing, but feel free to ask any questions if you're unsure. This is sort of a cross between **_**The Wedding Date**_** with Derba Messing, and a situation I've got going on at the moment and I thought I could relate it well to **_**Twilight. **_**All human, Alice and Mike are getting married, Alice invited Edward for obvious reasons, Mike invited Bella because of their serious relationship in the past, so sort of out of politeness. The rest of the cast of **_**Twilight**_** will be involved in later chapters, but for now, that's all you know (:  
Before you all beef at me about the terrible pairing of AlicexMike, forgive me for now and stick with it. It should hopefully all pan out (:  
Thanks for reading, and maybe drop me a review? x**

_For Better, or For Worse?_

_Bella_

_Prologue_

"You mean you'll do it?" I asked, hopefully, opening my eyes wide and staring at Edward with my best puppy-dog pout.

He shifted in his seat. We were sat alone, huddled on a cafeteria table. Luckily, we'd managed to get lunch together. I had something I'd wanted to talk to him about.

"I don't know, Bella, my brother's gonna be there too… and it's my sister's party; do you really think we can pull it off? My parents would kill me if we ruined the wedding." He shook his head, narrowing his gaze on me.

I held up a hand in gesture towards him and smiled, nodding. "Sure!" I tried to reassure him. "The wedding isn't for another few months, so we've both still got time to convince our families that we're for real." I paused. "Please, Edward, I wouldn't ask if I wasn't desperate." I may have been trying a little too hard when I batted my eyelashes, but it seemed to work.

He sighed. "Why do girls always do this? Jessica tried the same thing with me, when if she'd just spoken to me about it in the first place, I might have considered her. Pretending to go out Eric Yorkie did nothing to make me want her back." Shaking his head, he brought his eyes back to mine. He must have noticed the anguish floating across my face, because he sighed again. "Ok, so _if_," he gave me a long stare, "and I mean _if_," he clarified, continuing. "_If_ I agree to this mad plan of yours, how do you think you're going to get Mike back? I thought you were long over him."

Ouch, that hurt. I thought through what I wanted to say before I insulted the only friend I had at the moment. "I miss him, Edward, and if there's any way for me to let him know that, I think this is it. He must have invited me to his wedding for a reason. If he sees me there with…" I gesticulated towards Edward, trying to insinuate his attractiveness without actually saying it, "well, with you, I'm hoping he'll realise he still cares about me."

"Bella," I hated it when he said my name like that. He might as well say_ you're wrong, don't be stupid_. Instead he'd come up with some logical reason why my mind didn't work right. "Personally, I think you're riding too much on this. I know you and Mike were together for a long time, but there are other people out there. He's getting _married_, why…" he trailed off, taking a sip of his coffee. I didn't want him to finish that sentence any more than he did.

It had been almost eighteen months since Mike and I had separated after being an item for just short of two years. It had been me that had broken it off, using my new job at an office across town as my excuse. _We're not going to see much of each other anymore; I think we should just move onto other people_ had been my exact words. I hadn't wanted to end it, but I'd had this strange epiphany that if I stayed with him, which I would have gladly done, I'd be stuck in the same day, reliving it a million times. I wanted some variety, and Mike definitely couldn't give me that. I'd loved him, which was why I had to let him go. He didn't need to be stuck loving someone who couldn't love him in the same way. We'd stayed in occasional contact over the past year and a half, but I'd never told him how much I missed him for the fear of his rejection. He'd met a new girl, anyway. Alice. Alice Brandon. She was Edward's half sister, and a sort-of friend I'd had since my younger years.

Selfish as it was, if Mike wasn't happy with me, I didn't want him to be with anyone else. I had to win him back.

"Please, Edward, I love him too much to let him go. Please help me." I took hold of his hand closest to me and pouted again.

His silence lasted a few moments as he gazed at me with an emotion I couldn't quite recognise. "You realise, if you do manage to pull this off, how much hurt you're going to cause my family? You'll break my sister heart and she'll probably never talk to me again. You fully understand what we're about to do, don't you?"

I thought for a second. I'd not really considered what this would do to Edward and Alice's relationship. They weren't close anyway, Edward hadn't spoken to her in coming on five years, but the wedge I wanted to drive between them wasn't fair. I didn't like the way Alice had treated Edward back when they were younger. Edward and I had been friends for a few years and he'd made no secret of his dislike to his sister. He'd told me that they'd never really got on. It'd topped it off for him, though, when she'd stolen his credit card because she was so desperate for the latest American Apparel dress and matching bag. He'd been two hundred dollars in debt by the time she'd given it back. Once he'd paid off the credit, with minimal help from her, he'd made as little contact with her as possible to avoid arguments.

Although they didn't speak at all, would it really be right of me to use Alice's brother to split her up with her fiancé? No, it wouldn't. Did it bother me? Not as much as it should have done. Strange.

"Yeah, I totally understand. But, even though it makes me sound absolutely awful, I still wanna go through with it. Is that ok?" My voice sounded quite small. I cared what Edward thought of me, regardless of the subject.

He sighed again, a long exhale that made him sound tired. Eventually, he nodded. "Ok, let's do it."


	2. Chapter 1

**A/n: Wow, it's been a while.  
I'm awfully sorry that it's been so long. Aside from the normal excuse that I've been busy, it's also the summer holiday and I'm working full time so I actually have some money… Anyway, sorry.  
This is, technically the first chapter of this elaborate fic. I hope it's ok, and that things are starting to come together more than with the prologue.  
I'll try to keep on top of this, but I've only got limited access to the internet, so don't be too worried if I don't post for a while. The next chapter should be soon, at least within a month, I think. Sorry to you all!  
****Maybe drop me a review? :)**

_Edward_

Chapter 1:

"Bella! Oh my god! I'm so glad you're here!"

The calls attacked us from all angles and I held Bella's hand tighter, hoping she'd be able to protect me from what we were about to do. I couldn't believe I'd let her talk me into this. Those puppy dog eyes had always been more than I could handle. When my sister had put me into hundreds of dollars of debt, those were the eyes she's given me and I'd let her off. It was safe to say I didn't trust her, though.

Why the hell did I come to this farce of a wedding? Aside from Bella's bright idea, I had no idea why I'd come. If I'd been on my own, I'd have tried to get out of it. My father wouldn't have been pleased, but he could no longer force me to obey him. I'd not had a happy childhood.

My father and I did not get on. The only member of my family I had the least bit in common with was my brother, Emmett. He, however, was following the family tradition of making terrible mistakes, and was currently dating a whore. Rosalie Hale. The absolute pittance of loyalty and the biggest show of total slutocity (if that was even a word). She had to be better than that bitch Lauren he'd gone out with a few years ago; she used to spend her time coming onto me with Emmett sat just next to her. Granted, Lauren hadn't been a long term relationship. So far, Rosalie had done nothing to upset me, or, more importantly, Emmett, her reputation merely preceded her.

A slight squeeze on my hand brought me back from my reverie. Bella was staring at me, a blank look plastered onto her face.

"Edward, are you ok?" She asked, worry slowly etching into the corners of her face. I wondered how long she'd been waiting for me to wake up.

I nodded, placing a hand lightly at her hip. I may not be incredibly up on couples and their actions, but I knew how to act to confirm that we were indeed an item. "Yeah, I was just thinking." I assured her. "Can you see Emmett yet?" Bella must have had a sly look around, I'd not had chance.

"Nooo." Bella said, in the way that only she could get away with. "If I'm honest, I've had too many people saying hello to notice any of your family."

"Ok." I smiled, not only for effect, but for the reason that a small, cheeky grin had appeared at her mouth. Even though she was just a good friend, I could still appreciate how gorgeous she was. I'd liked her a lot when we'd first become friendly. The feelings had more or less died by now, though. I knew she'd had, and maybe still did have, too many problems without me making it worse.

"Excuse me, Ladies and Gentlemen." A loud voice boomed through a speaker very close to where we stood. I turned to the sound of my mother, standing on stage, holding a microphone to her mouth, regardless of the fact that her voice was clearly loud enough without it.

The room had gone quiet, everyone leaving their private conversations to lay their attention on the stage. "Thank you." My mother smiled. "Well, we all know why we're here: to celebrate the marriage between my daughter, Alice, and her lovely Michael Newton. I'm absolutely honoured to welcome Mike to our family, along with his parents," she made an obvious gesture towards Mr and Mrs Newton, who were perched together beside her. Sat there, the pair didn't look entirely thrilled at thought of my mother holding a microphone, either. "I think this is going to be the beginning of an amazing relationship." By the way she was slurring her words, my mother had definitely had a couple of drinks. She was allowed to be happy, though, I guess. Why not?

It took me a minute to realise that my father had joined the group on stage. He stalked up behind my drunken mother, putting an arm around her shoulder and taking the microphone from her hands. She laughed. "Thank you all for coming to help us celebrate this romantic event. Gentlemen, buy your ladies a drink and have lots of fun. The party finishes tonight at six o'clock, but we'll be convening tomorrow for a three course meal at the country club, for those who have their invites, otherwise we'll be seeing you all tomorrow for the pre-stags-and-hens do. Travel safely home!"

A round of applause followed, my father and mother embraced and consequently left the stage. I turned back to Bella, reaching an arm around her waist.

I smiled. "Are you ok?" I asked, concerned. "I know this must be hard for you."

She gave a timid nod, suddenly going silent. "Bella," I said, lowering my voice in both pitch and volume. I knew she didn't like it when I used this tone with her. "I know I've already said my piece about this whole situation, but you are twenty-two years old, you've got more going for you than hanging on to Mike Newton. You deserve –"

"Eddie, darling, when did you arrive?" My mother characteristically booming voice stopped me dead. I wasn't going to talk to Bella about Mike in the presence of her; my mother seemed to really like him. "You've been hiding from me again, haven't you?"

"Hi Mom, erm," I thought for a second, laughing as confidently as I could. She was onto me. "About five minutes before your speech." I confirmed, embracing my mother with more enthusiasm than was necessary.

My father gave me a light pat on the back. "I'm glad you're here, son, I was worried you might not make it." He gave Bella and up-and-down look. I felt surprisingly protective of her. I didn't want my family to judge her just because she was here with me. "And who is this beautiful, young lady?" Judging by the stunning smile the crossed Bella's face, she seemed to be incredibly flattered to be referred to as 'beautiful'.

"This is Bella," I gestured towards my parents, "and, Bella, these are my parents, Carlisle and Esme." I'd kept one arm around Bella's waist and instinctively pulled her towards me. I could feel her place a hand in the back pocket of my pants.

She shook my father's hand and gave my mother an awkward, one-armed hug. "It's really nice to meet you." Bella's smile hadn't yet faltered. Bless her; she was trying really hard to play the part.

My mother seemed equally thrilled, glad, I was guessing, that I'd brought a female companion along. Apparently, she approved. "The pleasure's all ours, dear, although, I'm afraid, we've heard nothing about you. How long have you known one another, Edward?" She had a genuine look of curiosity across her gentle features.

It was true I'd not mentioned Bella to my family. It was not for fear of embarrassment or disapproval from them, I'd just not been asked. If my mother had queried me as to whether I'd intended to bring someone along, I would have told her, but she had not. I could feel Bella's eyes boring into me, also wondering why I'd not informed my parents about our supposed relationship. "We've been working together for," I paused, turning towards Bella, looking at her inquisitorially. Bella's mock-thinking look made me smile. She was a poor actress. "Maybe a year and a half?" Bella nodded, nuzzling a little closer to me. "But we've only been seeing each other for a few months. Bella's the daughter of Chief Swan." I intended this statement more towards my father, but my mother squealed before he could react.

"Ohh, really?" Her smile was huge. "A truly lovely man, he's been very kind to our family over the years. Tell your father we said a large hello. It's been too long since we've seen him."

Bella nodded again, her grin a lot more modest than that of my mother's. "I will. My dad was happy to hear about your Alice. He sends his congratulations."

"Being the daughter of Charlie Swan, that would also mean that you are a former girlfriend of our young Michael, wouldn't it?" My mother had never had a huge level of emotional intellect, and it didn't help that she was drunk. I could have almost slapped my forehead _for_ her.

"Sure. I've not seen Mike for a while now; I'm really looking forward to catching up with him." Bella managed to surprise me by keeping her voice level as she spoke. I'd expected that to be a difficult topic for her. I briefly squeezed her body in a silent support.

"Darling," My father's tone was low as if he only intended for his wife to hear him. "We do have lots of guests, I suggest we mingle."

"Yes, yes." She agreed. "I'm sorry, Edward, but there are a lot of people here. Your father and I must be off to work the room. When the bar closes, loiter by the door and we'll take you home to unpack." She lent forward to kiss my cheek, before both of my parents disappeared into the crowd.

I turned to Bella, frowning. "Are you ok? I'm guessing that was sufficiently awkward for you."

She shook her head. "No, I'm fine. It was only weird for me; they don't know anything so it's ok." She continued to flash her smile at me. "Your parents seem nice enough; I can understand why they'd annoy you at times, though."

I nodded. "Do you want a drink?" I motioned towards the bar, using my hand at her waist to guide her towards two stools that I'd noticed were free. Bella followed me, sitting quietly. I took the seat next to her.

"I'll just have a lemonade for now, please."

I nodded, waving the bar man over to me and ordering a glass of lemonade for Bella and a large whiskey for myself. Rather pretentious of me, but still, very good stuff.

I took a short sip of my glass and felt slightly better. The whiskey was a little fruity and tasted nice.

I gave my attention back to Bella and instantly noticed the total horror passing across her face. "What's wrong?"

Her eyes turned to me, but her expression did not change. "Mike's over there…" She fumbled her hands over her body, straightening out the creases in her dress and running her fingers through her hair. "What should I do?" Her voice had gone very high. "Should I go over and say hello, or wait or…"

I held up a hand for her to stop worrying. "Just sit here and look at me. I'm sure he'll come over in his own time. If he's got any sense, he'll want to know what you're doing here." I tried to smile, hoping it might calm her down, but it seemed she was having a hard time keeping her eyes on me.

I raised a hand to her knee, applying a gentle pressure against her thigh. The dress she was wearing had ridden up so that it only just covered her thighs. It was a deep blue and hugged her curves, making her look close to perfect. I could hardly imagine how long it had taken her to do her make up. She was nearly the most beautiful woman in the room, with the two exceptions of my sister, Alice, and Rosalie, who had gone for the full works, donning a low backed, cream dress that only she could wear confidently. Obviously Emmett was impressed too; he couldn't take his hand off her.

"Oh my God, Edward, he's seen me!" She finally looked at me, staring intently into my eyes, portraying her anxiety instantaneously. "Is he walking over? If I look he'll think I want to see him. You look, is he coming?"

I tried to make light of the turning of my head, noticing instantly that my sister's fiancé had indeed spotted Bella and was speaking animatedly to Alice, moving closer and closer to us. My eyes found Bella's clammy face again. "Yeah, he's definitely seen you. Bella, just chill. He's coming over, but he looks happy so," I stood up, smiling and putting both my hands at her shoulders, bending to her height. "Relax."

Under the gaze she'd been dying to have for the last few months – Mike's – she seemed to become more romantic. She took one of my hands from her skin and held it tightly. The lemonade, which had been previously untouched, beside her, suddenly became very interesting.

"Bella! I didn't think you were going to make it today, I thought you might have to work?" Mike's goonish voice called to Bella from about twenty yards away. She stiffened.

"Um, yeah, I did, but I'm here, so…" Bella stuttered and ran her fingers over my hand in her nerves. Mike stood before her rigid yet calm – almost casual.

I decided to cut in, trying to save her the embarrassment. "Hey, Mike, it's nice to see you again." I held my hand out, and he shook it. He had a surprisingly firm grip for someone so awkward looking. I wasn't that I didn't like Mike; I just didn't particularly like him. I was indifferent. He'd been the same in high school as he was now, and I hadn't got on with him then, either.

"Edward." He gave me a nod, releasing my hand. I took a swig of my whiskey, leaving myself a splash for later. I'd probably need it. "Am I intruding, or just missing something?" He smiled, a sideways smile that implied that he intended on being nosey.

"You're just about as uninformed as most of the people here." I told him. "Bella and I work together and we started seeing one another a few months ago." I tightened my hand on hers, wondering how she was feeling. She seemed too dumbstruck to be following anything I was saying. The only way I'd be able to get her attention, or so I presumed, would be if I looked like Mike Newton.

My pressure of her skin appeared to snap her out of it. She got to her feet, standing close to me. I could feel the heat rising off her body. She was incredibly embarrassed. "It's been ages since I've spoken to you, Mike; sorry I didn't mention it earlier." She smiled, "thanks for inviting me to the wedding, by the way, I don't even think I RSVPed."

Mike laughed, sounding more clownish by the minute. "No, you didn't. That was why I thought you weren't coming." I tried to fight my instinct to laugh. Like I'm so sure…

We all knew why he didn't think she'd attend his wedding: she wasn't the bride.

Just then, I noticed a bobbing head making its way towards us. My sister wrapped her arms around Mike's back and kissed his neck, before coming down from the clouds and saying hello to us. She stood by his side, taking his arm.

"Hi, Edward!" From her enthusiastic greeting, I was guessing she had some amount of alcohol in her system. "Daddy said he thought you weren't coming." She laughed, her smile terribly lop sided. She was hammered. "I told him you'd want to see me, though, it's been too long. I was right!"

Mike turned his head to whisper in her ear. "Allie, I think we should go get you a glass of water, are you feeling ok?"

Whilst there were no eyes on us, I took the opportunity of putting a hand at Bella's waist. She leaned into me, but only slightly. I wondered whether it'd even be noticeable.

"No, Mikey, I'm fine! I wanna speak to Edward – and Bella!" Alice seemed to add Bella's name as an afterthought, maybe she'd only just realised I had Bella next to me.

Mike nodded. "Ok, but come and find me when you're done, because we need to speak to my grandparents before they go home. They're complaining that they're tired." Without waiting for a reply, he turned his back and began to talk to the next person behind him. I didn't think he was all that impressed with the large amount of people in the room. Trust my parents to go for the big ceremony.

"How've you been, Edward? We've not spoken in years!" She giggled, a high and loud noise that stopped some other conversations going on in the room. Alice ran her hands down her dress to take the seat I'd be sitting on. Her dress suited her beautifully, a slender, fitted yellow gown, but she'd always been good with fashion. She took my glass in her hands and downed its contents.

"Yeah, Alice, I know. I've been busy…" It took all my strength not to bring up my wasted alcohol.

Her laugh cut me off. "For five years?" I wanted to reply, but instead I smiled. I knew I was in the wrong. What did she want me to say? I wasn't going to apologise, no matter how many long looks she gave me. "It doesn't even matter." She said, finally. "You're here now. Case closed." Her smile was radiant. Too bad she was my sister. "How long have you and Bella been together? No one's told me anything!" She sounded very annoyed by that fact. She loved to gossip.

"That's because no one knew, Alice. You're not missing much." I tried to keep the irritation out of my voice, but I had a feeling it would be obvious.

"Why'd you keep it a secret, Edward? We all wanna see you happy, so why be so quiet to everyone?" I suppressed another sigh. This was another reason I hadn't wanted to come: my sister also loved to lecture me.

"I didn't do anything out of direct spite to you, Alice, so can we please move on?"

She smiled a satisfied and smug smile. "Sure." She said, sweetly, like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. Like I'm so sure. "How long _have _you been dating?"

Repressing another sigh, I tried to smile. If I replied with a blank face, Alice would come to the conclusion that Bella and I weren't doing so well. "A few months now." Whether conscious or not, Bella body got closer to mine as I spoke. She was keeping her cool way better than I'd expected she would.

Alice made a sugar-coated Awwing sound, jumping her position to wrap her arms around my neck. I released Bella and held my sister, stunned. I didn't quite know where to put my hands, still confused on what terms we were. We'd not spoken in five years, purely on my account, and here she was, hugging me like nothing had happened. I wanted to think that it was more than I deserved for my silence, but I knew my sister better than that. She has this desperate need, that I'd never understood, where she craved people's approval.

Her breathing got louder in one of my ears and it took me a moment to realise she was putting her mouth close to me so she could whisper. "I've missed you." She told me, her voice sad. "Thank you for coming here, big brother. I'm really scared."

I pulled away, taking my eyes to look at her face. She didn't look frightened, not at all. But she did look slightly confused, whether that was the alcohol or not, I wasn't sure.

I hugged her again. "Ok, Alice. What's upsetting you?" I heard her silence getting denser and denser, but her breathing was even, suggesting that she was contemplating my question.

I felt her mouth open, and then Mike's voice, low and far away from us. Alice pushed back, turning to see Mike waving at her from across the room. "My grandparents are going! Come and say goodbye!"

Alice smiled, similarly jumping up and down on the spot. She was even more hyperactive than a small child. "Ok, Mikey!" And with that, she darted away, not daring to even look at me before she left.

Bella reached her hand into mine. Her skin felt warm to me, insinuating mine was very cold. "What happened?" Bella's voice broke slowly into my thoughts of Alice.

I shrugged. "No idea. She was talking about being scared of the marriage. Or at least, that's what I think she was talking about." I glanced to Bella, taking in her blank expression. "What do you think?"

"The bride's always a little scared at first, it is a big occasion, after all." Bella smiled and it did something to calm me down. I squeezed her hand, deciding Alice was free to do what she pleased. I wasn't here to look after her.

I was here to help my friend steal her fiancé. Terrific.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/n: Dudeeee – it's been a while huh?  
I know I said the next chapter would be up within a month, but it's been a busy few months. I won't bother with the excuses because they're always the same lol.  
Okay, so this is the next chapter. We're back to Bella's point of view. The only thing I ask is that you please pardon the ending. This is not the end of the fic, just the chapter and I do have a plan of where I'm taking it. So please excuse it; it's bit clumsy and very sudden.  
Thanks guys! xx**

_Bella_

Chapter 2:

Edward held my hand as we ventured further into the congregation of people. Did Edward's family really know this many people, or were some of these strangers related to Mike? I'd never met the majority of them before, and Mike had tried to make a point of letting me meet his relatives, so I guessed they were somehow tied to the Cullen family.

One voice I did recognise belonged to a friend of mine. I'd not heard from Jessica in a few months now, but we'd been quite close in high school. After college, we'd succeeded in making contact after every half a year, just to catch up and make sure we both knew what was happening. It suddenly occurred to me that she wouldn't know about mine and Edward's pretend relationship either. Edward had dated her in the past and I wasn't sure how awkward this was going to be.

I stopped mid stride, quickly getting Edward's attention. Turning to him, I locked my eyes with his, releasing his hand and taking only to staring at him. "Jess's over there. How bad do you think this is gonna get?" I gave him a contemplating facial expression.

"What?" Edward replied, totally gormless. He truly had no idea what I was referring to. Men.

I tilted my head. "Erm, you and Jessica? In high school?"

He showed only a small smile, speaking very quietly. "Bella, we only went out for a few months, I'm sure it'll be fine."

I shook my head, also clicking my tongue. "I knew you wouldn't understand."

His face was questioning, forcing me to continue without a word from him. "It's, like, an unwritten rule. You just _don't_ date your friends' ex-boyfriends. It's not allowed." I was gesticulating with my hand again. As soon as I realised I was doing it, I stopped. It was an endless pet hate of Edward's.

"I dated her years ago! I can't even remember myself, surely she'll forgive you."

"She really liked you, though. Oh, my god, what if she's mad? What if she's seen us already?" The panic started again.

Edward smiled, snaking an arm around my waist. We were just touching bodies when he spoke. His voice seemed incredibly loud, the hairs on the back of neck standing on end. "Relax, Bella, I'm not gonna tell you again." With the way he'd said it, I knew he was smiling.

"I'm glad to know you're taking benefit from my awkwardness. Thanks for the support." My eyes were closed, so I felt a shock run through my body as his hand slipped back into mine, holding it to his waist. "What are you doing?" I asked, making sure I didn't sound too much like I wasn't actually enjoying myself.

He laughed. "Driving Jessica insane, I can see her face from here."

I shrugged from his grip, stepping backwards only slightly. It was over in a matter of seconds. "You're terrible!" I told him, hoping there wasn't a trace of amusement on my face.

Edward has closed the space between us before I even knew what he was doing. "Bella, you know that, _logically_, you're going to have to admit it to her." I didn't want to acknowledge it, but as he took my hands again, I knew he was right. "We might as well face the music now. If she's the only, one, person in the room that you're not going to lie to, she'll soon enough tell everyone, and then we'll have to go home. She loves to start rumours, and you understand that better than anybody."

I nodded. The many, many times Jessica had managed to convince the school I'd been in love with different boys, sometimes even the teachers, in high school was insane. She had a gift, whether it was good or not. "I know what she's like, Edward, but I can't even see her face and I know what expression she'll be pulling." I sighed, moving my eyes away from his stare. It was way too intense with his own arrogance for me to continue the façade.

He laughed, his body movements rocking my body. If this display couldn't convince anyone of mine and Edward's affair, then I didn't know what would. "Come on then, what's she doing?"

I thought through my answer before I said it, contemplating for longer than was probably needed. Jessica was like a book, interesting and intriguing at first, but she'd soon become just so predictable it wasn't even funny. I was still surprised that our friendship had lasted this long, she wasn't the type of girl I usually got on with. "I'll go with… erm, the balled up fists, the look of pure astonishment and the staged betrayal? There might even be a bit of interest in there, too; she just can't resist knowing that something extra about somebody else."

Edward chuckled again, a sound that made my gaze latch onto him. "Dead on." He was smiling. I couldn't help myself, and soon enough, so was I.

"You're right…" I smoothed my hands back over my dress before I continued. I knew exactly what Jessica was going to say, but I definitely couldn't avoid her for the rest of my life, let alone the week. "Let's get this over with." I turned so Edward was by my side, keeping his closest hand in mine. That would solve her first question.

Pulling him along with me, I set off towards her. Her face had cleared by the time I'd seen her, trying her best, no doubt, to keep her feelings to herself, but I knew it wouldn't last long.

She smiled as we approached, and it almost looked genuine. "Hey, Bella." Her voice was low, I was guessing with shock. "And Edward! It's great to see you again." She added, flirtatiously. Trying to steal my pretend boyfriend already… what could I say? I was not surprised in the slightest.

"Hi, Jess." I grinned at her, giving her a short hug. Edward did not let go of my hand, so the embrace was quite awkward and one armed. He nodded in her direction, recognising her greeting towards him.

Her face had dropped slightly, but she was still relatively pleasant. "It's been too long, Bella, what've you been doing?"

I wondered, silently, if the question was an invitation for me to reintroduce her to Edward. I didn't cave. "Not much, really." I shrugged. "Work's getting a bit stupid; it's getting to the busy season so I never seem to get a break."

The irritation at her eyes was only just noticeable. Personally, I thought she was doing quite well.

Jessica opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a call of Edward's name.

The guy was just slightly taller than Edward, with long and curly blonde hair. He had the sort of smile that you just knew didn't get shown often. What better occasion to smile than at a wedding? His suit looked like it'd been worn before, which pleased me. I was glad I wasn't the only person in the room who couldn't afford to buy a new outfit for every time they went out.

"Hey, Jazz! It's been too long!" Edward released me to give the bloke a short hand shake. His smile was radiant. It made me want him to look that way at me, just so I could reply.

"Edward, dude, I know! Where've you been?" The man called Jazz gestured for him and Edward to take a walk, so Edward turned to me.

"Bella, Jasper and I are just gonna go and catch up, you mind?"

I shook my head. As if I could say 'no' to that pretty face, but it was sweet of him to think to ask me. "Sure."

Suddenly, Edward's face was covered with shock. "Oh, Jesus, Bella, where are my manners?" He took my hand once more, and I thought I saw Jessica's body stiffen from the corner of my eye. "Jazz, this is Bella Swan: my girlfriend."

Jasper's eyes fell on me, filled deep with comprehension, as if he was trying to work me out. I blushed from the attention and I felt Edward's arm tighten around my body. I hadn't even realised he'd moved. "Bella, this is Jasper." Edward was holding up his free hand towards this stranger Jasper. "He used to live next door to us when we lived in Washington. Rosalie's Jasper's older sister."

"Oh." I nodded, extending my hand. "It's nice to meet you, Jasper."

He put his fingers under my own, bringing my hand up to his mouth. He kissed my hand gently. I went an even brighter red than before.

"We'll be around somewhere; come and find me when you need me." Edward smiled, not waiting for a reply, but walking off into a quiet corner so he could talk to his friend. "I've been hiding." I heard him laugh to Jasper before his voice faded into the general speech of the room.

Reluctantly, I turned back to Jessica. She, of course, wasted no time.

"Like, oh my God." Her face showed her shock. I wanted to sigh, but knew she'd make some sort of comment about it, so I refrained. "When did all this happen?"

I smiled politely towards her, but attempted to show my expression as being modest. I didn't want to rub her nose into mine and Edward's relationship, nor did I really want to talk about it. "I don't know, a few months ago or something." I kept my voice low.

"Dammit, Bella, you could have told me." The way she'd said it sounded like she was relieved. She and Edward had dated for longer than Edward and I had, or supposedly. I guessed she was slightly reassured that we were relatively new together. "Is this the reason we've not spoken in ages?"

I didn't know quite what to say to that. I wasn't a good liar, so I decided to go with a partial truth. "A little bit, I've been really busy at work and sorting stuff out. I've barely seen Edward most of the time."

She nodded. "Oh. Right." Her face was comical, so interested yet mildly repulsed at the same time. "Oh, my God!" She suddenly exclaimed after a second or two of silence. "Like, how _hot_ does Emmett Cullen look today?" Her face turned to me, and I wasn't sure how to reply. "That suit is just amazing, makes him look like some sort of movie star! Rosalie looks stunning… How come she gets him and I'm stuck with all the losers in town?" She quietened our conversation ever so slightly as Emmett, Edward's brother, sauntered past us, his arm firmly around his girlfriend's waist. I might have imagined it, but I could swear Rosalie had raised her nose slightly. Now I knew why Edward didn't like her. "Life isn't fair." Jessica added, her eyes following the couple and finally returning to me. She gave a small laugh. "Like, why I am asking you? You get to wake up next to Edward's face every morning, it's not like you're hard done by."

The attraction she felt towards Edward was still plain in her voice, but I knew hers was based purely on looks. She'd probably fancied him for years, before and after they'd dated. I'd always known everything about Jessica was superficial, forcing me to wonder why were such good friends, all over again.

I laughed, solely to break the quiet between us, throwing away the awkwardness. "He doesn't look all that sexy on a morning." I joked, smiling at her. I was sure he looked _gorgeous_ first thing, but who was I to admit that to her? I'd never slept with him, so I wouldn't know.

"Yeah, like I'm sure." Jess played along, turning away from her staring at Emmett's backside to face me. Looked like I had her full attention again, fantastic.

"What's been going on with you, anyway?" I asked, trying to break the ice. "Who're these losers you were talking about?"

That seemed to be enough for her. She was off, talking and talking at me. All I had to do was nod and 'umm' in the right place, and she'd never know I wasn't listening.

I caught bits of the conversation, like her mention of sleeping with Tyler Crowley, and switching jobs recently due to a large conflict with her boss's secretary. I wasn't sure if I wanted to know what the disagreement was over. While my mind tried to keep up with Jessica's ranting about her most recent ex, my eyes wandered around the room. Trying to find Edward was like looking for a single strand of grass in a very large field.

Luckily, Edward's bronze hair next to Jasper's frizzy bouffant managed to get my eye. They were quietly tucked away in a small corner just opposite us, no more than one hundred yards away. Edward flashed his crooked smile, the one that always made me want to smile, showing his teeth as he expressed his delight at Jasper's comments. I tried to think, quickly, of a reason to leave Jessica standing for a minute, preferring the idea of talking to him over her.

I hadn't been contemplating my escape long, when the decision was made for me.

Jessica began squealing, tugging at my arm and doing small jumps on the spot. "Emmett's talking to Edward! We should, like, totally go over. You're dating him now, so it'd be perfectly ok for us to join the conversation, right?" Just as she predicted, Emmett's muscle-clad body strode confidently towards Edward's and Jasper's private discussion.

His greeting boomed across every person in the room. I'd met Emmett previously, and I knew he would never be considered quiet. "Eddie-Boy, you're actually here, Rose thought you were gonna ditch!"

Jessica fingers dug into my skin as Rosalie glided past them all to stand next to her boyfriend. She whispered something into his ear, her hand lingering in his hair for longer than I thought was necessary. He turned his face to look at her, smiled, and then nodded.

"Right, that's it, we're totally going over!" Jess's grip fell to my hand, which she used to drag me through the crowd.

I didn't have much time to think, but all I could tell was that Jess was either going to make a complete fool of herself, or fail to fit into the direction the conversation was taking, so we'd leave.

Edward caught my eye as we wandered towards him. The smile he gave me was warm, but sympathetic at the same time, like he understood that I wouldn't be able to keep this up forever.

He held out his hand to me as we approach; I let go of Jess in favour of him, and she didn't look overly pleased. Where as I could fit in here, being somehow related to Edward, a member of the family, she didn't have any real connections to the group apart from me. That meant my commitment to Edward rather than her had really hurt her.

I smiled at her, a small smile, and she inched her way into the circle.

Before long, her well opinionated nature would kick in and she'd forget all about me.

"Awww, look at that!" Emmett's goofy grin was strangely attractive to me. His gestured his hand towards me and Edward, turning to Rose and laughing. "Lickul Eddie-Weddie's got himself an ickul girlfriend!"

Emmett's teasing seemed to really bother Edward. I cringed as his face fell lopsided and his voice deepened below any tone he'd ever used with me. "Emmett, just because we're not all comfortable performing just short of sex in a public place, doesn't mean we can't get dates." Humourlessly, the jaws of half the circle dropped. I squeezed his hand, wondering whether it would register.

After an awkward few seconds, Edward gave a short and quiet sigh, giving back the pressure to my hand that I'd showed him. "Sorry, everyone, Emmett, Rosalie, this is Bella Swan." I could feel his body tensing beside me, wondering if his last outburst would change his friends' and family's reaction. I was glad he'd taken to reintroducing me; I wasn't sure how much of me Emmett would remember. The whole Cullen family had been highly popular in high school and I'd never aspired to join them. Rosalie would have no idea who I was. She didn't know anyone below her own self-perceived status.

Emmett's smile didn't waver; perhaps because he knew Edward was very touchy about his love life. He seemed to play on it, actually. "I know Bella, right?" He turned his head towards me, his grin still prominent and his hand outstretched. "Advanced Biology?" I shook his hand, nodding my head. He gave a low laugh. "You were always so much better at it than any of my year, and you were like, what, two years younger?"

I giggled along with him, glancing with the side of my eye to see Rosalie's face turn. She was definitely the jealous type. In my opinion, liking biology was completely innocent, if not slightly insane. "If I remember right, most of your class just thought I was strange for wanting to go forward two years in such a specific field."

"Yeah… I sucked at biology, to be fair. To this day I still can't recall the names of the bones in the arm, wasn't there like forty-five?"

I know exactly how many bones there are in the arm, _and_ all the names, for that matter, but that wasn't something I was about to admit. "I enjoyed biology, but I work in an office, so what good it did me, I'll never know." I joked, smiling, and feeling comfortable with the company. Rosalie still didn't seem happy, what with her beloved actually having an innocent, but intellectual, conversation with another woman. I had a feeling we weren't going to get on.

"Anyway," Emmett continued to address the whole group. "Going back to what we were talking about, I remember, once, he called Mr Sanchez 'Dad' by accident, anyone remember that?"

Everyone laughed, including Edward. I could hear his soft chuckle clearly in my mind as he turned his head to me to explain the discussion. "Emmett's referring to Mike, back in high school. All those stupid things he used to do when he was younger."

"Oh." I smiled. I could remember Mike telling me about that specific incident. Bless him, Mike had been stood in the hall way at the time, and half of the school had heard his hiccup. "I've got one." I piped up, smiling and wondering whether I'd feel bad for enlightening the group about this. "It was back when we were dating in senior year. Mike tried out for the football team." I could already see grins appearing from different corners of the circle. It would seem that some people had already heard this story. "I remember he really wanted to be on the team and he tried so hard that when he was passing the ball it hit the head cheerleader, who's group was practising at the side of the field, right on her head. She had a bruise, one that she couldn't cover up with make up, I might add, across her forehead for about a month."

Edward apparently hadn't known about this. He was bending over, leaning one hand on my shoulder, in total hysterics. He wasn't the only one. I had to give a small giggle myself, just from the sight of everyone else.

"Hey, guys!" A voice shouted from behind Emmett's big frame. Two hands pushed between Jasper and Emmett's sides and drew them apart. "What's so funny?" It must have been Mike's innocent grin. The laughter that had just about drowned out boomed all over again.

He turned to me, his smile still large across his lower face. I saw in him what I'd seen for years. Whatever happiness that was still left in me, from Edward's touch or Emmett's recognition, was gone. I could see him as my boyfriend, taking me to the cinema, offering to pay just because he loved me, and falling asleep on my couch, watching the football with my dad. He had been perfect, and it'd been me that had ended everything. Looking directly at me, although surrounding by a group of five other people, he began to laugh with us. His laugh. Oh, I'd missed that. He had such an easy laugh, one that made you want to laugh with him. Mike was so simple, so easy to understand. Everything he'd ever done for me had been with the best intentions, and I'd always known where I was standing with him. There'd never been any bullshit, it was all spelled out. Alice was one lucky girl.

"Bella?" Edward's voice floated back into my thoughts and it leaked of humour. "Bella?" He sung my name this time, drawing out the 'a' sound as if I wasn't fully conscious.

I shook my head, facing him. The people around me were still focussed on Mike, but Edward must have seen the desperation behind my staring. "You ok?"

I was embarrassed by his concern and, against my will, began to blush a scarlet red. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Edward's face was filled with worry. I felt his fingers grasp at my arm as he pulled me away, forcing my vision to only see him. "What's wrong? Apart from your cheeks, right now, you look really pale." He sat me down and kneeled in front of me.

I looked down at him. Could I really carry on with this? "Edward…" I could feel a sadness ripping through my body and knew I'd have to tell him. "I don't know if I want to keep up this charade." Evading his eyes, I sighed. "I think I still l-love him… I don't know if I can pretend to be with anyone else."


End file.
